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She is of course a well-known animal-lover, and her attachment to corgis no doubt stems back to happy memories of growing up with them.

But as well as providing a source of love and comfort, they have also reportedly provided a useful function - in that they’ve helped her deal with shyness.

The Queen is said to find it hard to converse with people she does not know, even though she must have met hundreds of thousands of strangers in her time.

It was reported in 2017 that she has a secret trick for getting out of awkward situations, where there is a conversation lull or she finds a topic awkward.

Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret with a corgi (Image: GETTY)

Two corgis, the Queen's favourite breed of dog (Image: GETTY)

Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret with a pet corgi in 1941 (Image: GETTY)

King George VI, Princess Elizabeth and their pet corgi Dookie (Image: GETTY)

This involves dipping down and feeding her corgis, or going off and taking them for a walk. The technique is even known within family circles as the ‘dog mechanism’.

The Queen was said to be devastated after her last remaining corgi died in April. The dog, Willow, who was reportedly almost 15, had to be put down due to cancer.

It heralded a new era - the first time the monarch has not owned a corgi since the end of the second world war.

But she still has two dogs, Vulcan and Candy.

These are informally known as “dorgis” – a cross-breed between a dachshund and a corgi said to have been introduced to the royal household when Princess Margaret’s dachshund Pipkin mated with one of the Queen’s dogs.

Princess Elizabeth with her pet corgis Jane and Dookie in London (Image: GETTY)